Addiction Prevention Resources

Addiction IS a Jewish Problem

Addictive behaviors and the abuse of substances are a growing concern in society.

Addiction recovery and the related mental health challenges are complex issues with many intertwined elements. Substance abuse and the opioid epidemic grabs the headlines; but issues of stigma, isolation for those fighting addiction (and their support networks), anxiety and depression, and other issues that often lead to addiction also challenge the Jewish community.

“Judaism as a Program for Living Well” is an emerging initiative of the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington. It will generate a broader response to challenges of addiction and mental health recovery in our Jewish community. It is an effort to nurture a caring and inclusive community through the Federation’s role of convener, thought leader and catalyst for collaboration.

We are working to:

• Extend the community conversations about addiction, recovery, and the co-occurring mental health challenges faced by a growing number of individuals in our community;
• Recruit more clergy, educators, and others in the helping professions to change the culture and level of awareness within the Jewish community to:
  • Reduce stigma,
  • Lower barriers to inclusion,
  • Encourage individuals to seek support
  • Nurture a healthier environment within our families and communal organizations, using Jewish rituals as tools to encourage wellness

Addiction prevention and support services in our community

Addictive behaviors and the abuse of substances are a growing concern in society. The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington seeks to be an inclusive and caring community. We are working to:

• Educate ourselves about the challenges we and our neighbors face
• Remove stigma that may prevent individuals from seeking help and support
• Build awareness within our community institutions about creating a safe, healthy space for people and programs
• Strengthen the infrastructure of treatment and prevention programs appropriate to each individual’s situation

In order to achieve these goals, Federation is implementing the following initiatives to bring greater access to Addiction Prevention resources to members of the Greater Washington community:

• Addiction prevention resources are in the process of being added to the Jconnect community website to provide easily accessible information for families and friends who need it.
• Community Trainings and workshops will provide professionals working in the Jewish community with the tools needed to support and help the addiction community.
• Federation’s series of holiday guides are being edited, reprinted and reposted online using new inclusive language that is sensitive to people with addiction issues.

5 Myths about Drug Abuse and Addiction

MYTH 1: “Overcoming addiction is simply a matter of willpower. You can stop using drugs if you really want to.” Prolonged exposure to drugs alters the brain in ways that result in powerful cravings and a compulsion to use. These brain changes make it extremely difficult to quit by sheer force of will.

MYTH 2: “Addiction is a disease; there’s nothing you can do about it.” Most experts agree that addiction is a brain disease, but that doesn’t mean you’re a helpless victim. The brain changes associated with addiction can be treated and reversed through therapy, medication, exercise, and other treatments.

MYTH 3: “Addicts have to hit rock bottom before they can get better.” Recovery can begin at any point in the addiction process—and the earlier, the better. The longer drug abuse continues, the stronger the addiction becomes and the harder it is to treat. Don’t wait to intervene until the addict has lost it all.

MYTH 4: “You can’t force someone into treatment; they have to want help.” Treatment doesn’t have to be voluntary to be successful. People who are pressured into treatment by their family, employer or the legal system are just as likely to benefit as those who choose to enter treatment on their own. As they sober up and their thinking clears, many formerly resistant addicts decide they want to change.

MYTH 5: “Treatment didn’t work before, so there’s no point trying again.” Recovery from drug addiction is a long process that often involves setbacks. Relapse is common, doesn’t mean that treatment has failed or that you’re a lost cause. Rather, it’s a signal to get back on track, either by going back to treatment or adjusting the treatment approach.

(Source: www.helpguide.com)

Online Resources

• My Jewish Learning: Treating Addiction with Jewish Values
• Jewish Alcoholics, Chemically Dependent Persons and Significant Others (JACS)
• Maryland Addiction Recovery Center: Baltimore, Addiction and the Jewish Community
• NIH National Institute on Drug Abuse
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
• What you need to know when choosing an addiction treatment center
• NASP, the role of schools in helping students with substance use, abuse, and dependency in adolescence
• SAMHSA information for educators, students, parents, and families dealing with substance abuse and mental health issues
• From collegestats.org – Understanding Drug and Alcohol Abuse on College Campuses
• Maryland Addiction Recovery Center: Adult Children suffering from Addiction need Empowering, Not Enabling
• Quick Guide to Quit Enabling Addiction infographic
• Thoughts for Elul, leading up to Rosh Hashanah: Extending a Hand
• Jewish educational response to mental health challenges: What Parents Can Do to Support Their Children
• The Anonymous Hagaddah shows the connection between the Exodus and recovery
• Recovery Seder: A template and discussion questions
• Purim and Drinking
• JACS Taught Me What I Needed to Know (Jewish Alcoholics, Chemically Dependent Persons and Significant Others)
• How to Help a Parent Whose Child is Suffering From Mental Illness
• Coming Out Of Hiding: Revealing A Mental Disability an article by Sharon Rosenblat
• Mental Health As A Jewish Accessibility Issue a webinar by Rabbi Ruti Regan
• Raising Resilient Teenagers: Resources That Can Help
• JTeach.org Mental Health Resources
• JTeach.org Jewish Wisdom on Help, Despair, and Hope
• JTeach.org Suicide and Mental Health selected bibliography
• eJewish Philanthropy On Brokenness and Becoming Whole in the New Year: How the Jewish Community is Confronting Mental Illness and Addiction
• SAMHSA, Help Your Teens Navigate the Challenges of Drug Use in College
• SAMHSA’s Tips for Teens series about substances and their harmful effects

In the News

• Montgomery County, MD Recovery and Academic Program (RAP) will allow young people who are emerging from addiction to keep up on their coursework in a safe, supportive environment. Read more.
• How to Help Addicted Jewish Youth
• Mindfulness: Moving from Isolation of Addiction to a Reconnecting in Recovery
• Sober Birthright for Recovering Jewish Addicts, a Birthright trip open to those in recovery or impacted by addiction
• Parent alert: See your dentist not just with mouth wide open but also with eyes wide open! A new report corroborates what many researchers have found, that post-dental procedure pain medication can start patients on the road to addiction. Opioid addiction can begin with a dental procedure that’s become a rite of passage, leading many to question how dentists prescribe painkillers.
• Jewish groups putting up a fight against the growing opioid epidemic
• The challenge of substance abuse is NOT just for young people.  Access to medication, changing diagnoses, poor drug management all contribute to a growing number of seniors dealing with drug abuse and addiction. Read more about substance abuse among seniors.
• Substance abuse, addiction and mental health challenges are often all at play in one individual. Understand the terms and features of a dual diagnosis.
• God, Religion, and America’s Addiction Crisis – For the underlying spiritual condition, an older set of tools—like Judaism’s—has a lot to offer
• Three-part mental health awareness series from the New York Jewish Week:
  1. Once Shrouded In Silence, Young Jews Are Demanding Openness About Mental Health Disorders
  2. To The Ledge, And Back
  3. Communal Response To Mental Health Disorders Ramping Up ‘Rapidly’
• ​Confessions from the Edge of a Cliff: My Teen Mental Health Journey 
• BaMidbar Wilderness Therapy guides Jewish young adults on individualized journeys of self-discovery and healing. Through nature-based therapy, BaMidbar is a stepping stone to independent, healthy, adulthood. They offer a tailored mix of evidence-based therapies to help each student find their unique path to wellness.

Video Resources

• Jewish Spirituality and Addiction Recovery, by Rabbi Pinson
• Interview Rabbi Dr. Abraham Twerski – Internet Addiction
• How I Live With Addiction Every Day: Amber Valletta
• Case Western Substance Abuse Lecture Series: History to Recovery
• Case Western Substance Abuse Lecture Series: No Greater Bond: Mothers and Children
• Case Western Substance Abuse Lecture Series: Recovering Addicts Making a Difference
• Addiction Policy Forum three-part series, What is Prevention?

Print Resources

• God of Our Understanding: Jewish Spirituality and Recovery from Addiction Paperback – Aug 2 2010, by Shais Taub
• Twelve Jewish Steps to Recovery, 2nd Ed.: A Personal Guide to Turning from Alcoholism and Other Addictions – Drugs, Food, Gambling, Sex… Paperback – Oct 1 2009, by Rabbi Kerry M. Olitzky, MD, Stuart A. Copans
• Addictive Thinking: Understanding Self-Deception Paperback – Apr 30 1997, by Abraham J Twerski
• The Spiritual Self: Reflections on Recovery and God Paperback – Mar 17 2000, by Abraham J Twerski
• Recovery, the 12 Steps and Jewish Spirituality Paperback – Sep 30 2014, by Rabbi Paul Steinberg
• Recovery – The Sacred Art: The Twelve Steps as Spiritual Practice Paperback – May 1 2009, by Rabbi Rami Shapiro
• Not As Prescribed: Recognizing and Facing Alcohol and Drug Misuse in Older Adults Paperback – April 2016, by Harry Haroutunian, M.D.
  In this book, Dr. Haroutunian, physician director at Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, provides you with the vital information needed to understand the dynamics of addiction in older adults. You’ll learn to:
  – Clearly distinguish between the signs of aging and the signs of addiction, many of which overlap
  – Identify the indications of drug misuse and its progression to addiction
  – Understand the unique treatment needs of older adults
  – Get the help you—as a caregiver or loved one—need to cope with your loved ones’ addiction